Midwives & Insurance

One registration requirement that you must meet as a midwife relates to holding professional indemnity insurance (PII). Under section 129 (1) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, a midwife must not practise midwifery unless the midwife has appropriate professional indemnity insurance.

Insurance and Midwives in Australia

If you practise midwifery without appropriate PII arrangements in place, this is an offence in subsection 129(1) of the National Law and you are liable to action taken by the NMBA. For full information about the PII registration standard, go to the NMBA website.

Most midwives meet this registration requirement by virtue of being employed. If you are an employed midwife, you do not need to purchase insurance for the midwifery care you provide as an employee, as long as your employer holds a vicarious professional indemnity cover.

However, if you are a self-employed midwife (in private practice), whatever the size of your caseload, you need to ensure you have professional indemnity insurance for your practice.

The MPIS is a Commonwealth-subsidised scheme for endorsed midwives and is available from MIGA. The MPIS covers pregnancy and postnatal care in any setting, and labour and birth care in a hospital or birth unit.

If you are an endorsed midwife who provides intrapartum care at home, you will not be insured by MIGA and thus fall under the Exemption legislation.

Important Note: We are NOT AUTHORISED to advise you on your professional indemnity insurance needs or arrange any insurance for you, nor do we endorse any policy terms. We strongly recommend that you seek advice by contacting MIGA directly.